One Last Breath
by Crystalazer
Summary: Yondaimefic. Inspired by Creed's One Last Breath.


**One Last Breath**  
_Inspired by Creed's "One Last Breath."_

**Disclaimer: **Naruto does not, in any way, belong to me. At all. Neither does the song "One Last Breath." Nu...that song belongs to Creed. I will hurt you if you take this story, though. _Really_ hurt you. But you won't steal the story. So I don't have to worry about that.

--

_Please come now; I think I'm falling  
I'm holding to all I think is safe  
It seems I found the road to nowhere  
and I'm trying to escape_

Someone calls his name but he does not answer because he cannot. They were in the midst of war; the tides had turned, and not in their favor. It was all they could do to hold back the enemy from invading their home. He had been one of the ANBU leading the first charge and it had failed spectacularly. Against the multitudes, his single Sharingan did not give him much of an advantage.

If he will live or die, he does not know. Genius as he was, Hatake Kakashi could not tell the future. People would die. He couldn't even begin to count how many he was personally acquainted with. He hoped, although it was an empty hope, that neither Sensei nor Rin would be among them.

_I yelled back when I heard thunder  
But I'm down to one last breath  
And with it let me say  
Let me say_

It was after sixteen more fell to the savage beast that he called for a hasty retreat. They could not bear much more loss. All around him, he saw broken and bloodied soldiers; among them, his silver-haired protégé. His eyes were closed in something not unlike meditation. He knew the young man long enough to know that he was calculating possible tactics, not fazed even as his fellow soldiers whispered in nervous, panicked tones. Trust the son Konoha's White Fang to be able to stay calm in even the most hopeless of situations. That quiet genius was what made him a most dependable subordinate.

The Yondaime's eyebrows knit in the middle as he analyzed the situation. There was an estimated three-hundred shinobi; a little over half of the original amount. Sighing, he ran a hand through his fair golden hair, searching through the shelves of vast knowledge he had gathered throughout his life.

_What _could possibly help them defeat the Kyuubi, most powerful of all youma in the world? Was there a jutsu; some technique that would insure victory without sacrificing any more lives? Again and again, he tried to stray away from _that _forbidden technique, but again and again, he reached dead ends.

There was no other alternative, he realized. Did he, Yondaime Hokage, wish to keep his life enough to sacrifice the lives of the village he had sworn to protect? The answer was clear.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
That maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

"Kakashi!" The Copy-nin raises his head to see his Sensei beckoning to him. Unfolding himself, he glides cautiously and swiftly from the back of the room to the front. The Yondaime draws him aside.

"Kakashi," Placing a hand on his shoulder, the Yondaime looks his subordinate in the eye. Kakashi attempts to read the older man's eyes, but it's difficult to reach into the unfathomable blue. "I want you to take care of things while I'm gone. I'll need to see Rin to find out how the birthing went."

Kakashi nods silently. Smiling bleakly, the blonde man whisked out of the crowded room. Licking his lips, which had turned paper-dry, he thought over his decision while striding quickly down the hallway towards the maternity ward. Rounding a corner, he almost literally bumped into the very person he's seeking.

"Oh…sensei!" The startled medic-nin steps back and bows.

"How is she?" He asks, concerned. Rin takes a breath and he doesn't miss the way she briefly bites her lip before replying.

"The birthing went well, but…" She stops, but then bursts out in a quiet tone, "Your wife…she might not make it."

"..." Somehow, he isn't surprised. All the same, his gaze draws to the floor. "May I see her?" He asks, and she nods.

"Of course," She leads him swiftly, with a slightly urgent air, further down the hallway.

_I'm looking down now that it's over  
Reflecting on all of my mistakes  
I thought I found the road to somewhere  
Somewhere in His grace_

He enters the ward and she greets him, smiling weakly beneath the pain.

"Are you alright?" He asks, striding to her bedside and kneeling so that his face is so very close to hers.

"I'll be fine…" She sighs contentedly and hands him the small bundle in her arms. "His name is Naruto. You'll take care of him, won't you?" Her hand draws up to caress his cheek, but falls short. He watches it fall, watches it hit the bed sheets ungracefully. So briefly, he wonders why it is for her he cries and not for those already lost.

Looking at his newborn son, he thinks that he's finally found the answer. He hopes that they will both forgive him.

_I cried out Heaven save me  
But I'm down to one last breath  
and with it let me say  
Let me say_

He finishes the seal with a dead flourish. The child sleeps quietly, unfazed by the ring of his father's blood surrounding his tiny body.

Breathing out a prayer for the well-being of his son, he turns to Sarutobi.

"You don't have to do this, Yondaime." The old man, slightly stooped with age, places a weathered hand on his shoulder. "We will defeat the Kyuubi eventually. Never underestimate the caliber of our ninja."

"But all the same; it must be done." The younger man answers. "The Sandaime Hokage will return to office tomorrow morning."

A brief nod of farewell passes between them.

"Take care of my son." And he is gone.

_Sad eyes follow me  
But I still believe there's something left for me  
So please come stay with me_

_'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me  
For you and me_

His body sways slightly before his feet leave Gama Bunta's warty head. Gracefully, his body arcs and he topples head-first off the back of the gigantic creature.

It is strangely quiet. One hundred pairs of horrified eyes watch their beloved Hokage fall.

_Hold me now  
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking  
That maybe six feet  
Ain't so far down_

He sees his children before him. Obito's whole arm is sticking in the air, waving wildly with his face, both eyes intact, nothing short of unadulterated joy. Rin's hands are cupped around her mouth and she's shouting to him, soft brown eyes aglow. Even Kakashi raises a hand in greeting, even though his eyes are as black and serious as ever.

A fourth child, too, stands beside them. Never has he seen that boy before, yet he knows him better than anyone else. It was exactly as if he was looking into a mirror. Maybe he would even like ramen once he got older.

There are more standing beyond his reach, too; children with Konoha headbands, promising shinobi of the next generation.

It was just as Sandaime had told him on the day of his inauguration. The will of fire will live on so long as the Hokage kindles the flame.

Taking one last breath, the Yondaime Hokage plunges.

--

_Fin_

_--_

I was in a hurry to finish this fic; excuse the crappiness of the ending. Again, I end it with the traditional (and patented) Crys-Goes-Nostalgic mode. Anyway, about the song...in case you're blind and didn't get it, it's called "One Last Breath" and is a very morbid song by Creed. But I love it. So about a week ago, I decided to listen to it, just for the sake of old times, and it got my creative wheels turning. At first, it was _supposed _to be from Kakashi's point of view, but like always, I got sidetracked and started warbling off stuff about good ol' Yondy. But the first part was already done, so that's why it changed points after the first stanza.

I recommend listening to this song before reading the fanfiction, but I guess it's a little late now. But go listen to it anyway; it's really good.

_Love it? Hate it? I'll never know until you **review!**_


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